New research has shed light on when plants first evolved the ability to respond to changing humidity in the air around them, and was probably a feature of a common ancestor of both flowering plants and ferns.
articles
Fewer El Niño and La Niña Events in a Warmer World
The cycling between warm El Niño and cold La Niña conditions in the eastern Pacific (commonly referred to as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, ENSO) has persisted without major interruptions for at least the last 11,000 years.
Unrealistic Experiments Mean True Impact of Nitrogen Pollution on the Environment Is Unknown, Study Warns
Human actions – mostly burning of biomass and fossil fuels – have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle, affecting natural habitats and contributing to acid rain.
Volcanic Eruptions May Have Spurred First ‘Whiffs’ of Oxygen in Earth’s Atmosphere
A new analysis of 2.5-billion-year-old rocks from Australia finds that volcanic eruptions may have stimulated population surges of marine microorganisms, creating the first puffs of oxygen into the atmosphere.
Dams Ineffective for Cold-Water Conservation
Dams poorly mimic the temperature patterns California streams require to support the state’s native salmon and trout — more than three-quarters of which risk extinction.
Yucatan Climate Past Informs the Global Climate Present
New research shows changes in tides and hurricane activity played a part in upending the Maya civilization centuries ago.
